{"id":65716,"date":"2021-04-13T14:02:14","date_gmt":"2021-04-13T14:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/04\/13\/us-adds-500-troops-in-germany-ends-large-scale-troop-cut-plans-despite-trump-pledge-secdef\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:23:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:23:56","slug":"us-adds-500-troops-in-germany-ends-large-scale-troop-cut-plans-despite-trump-pledge-secdef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/13\/us-adds-500-troops-in-germany-ends-large-scale-troop-cut-plans-despite-trump-pledge-secdef\/","title":{"rendered":"US adds 500 troops in Germany, ends large-scale troop cut plans despite Trump pledge: SECDEF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BERLIN \u2014 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/30\/trump-approves-pentagon-plan-to-pull-9500-us-troops-from-germany\/\" target=_blank>large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis planned increase in U.S. personnel underscores our commitment to Germany and the entire NATO alliance,\u201d Austin said in a notable counterpoint to the Trump administration\u2019s repeated complaints that Germany is a weak partner on defense and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin made the announcement after talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/13\/pentagon-chief-on-inaugural-tour-of-europe-to-shore-up-defense-ties\/\" target=_blank>his first tour of Europe<\/a> since becoming Pentagon chief in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision comes as Russia has amassed troops on its border with Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia\u2019s actions in Georgia, its illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the continued harassment of Ukraine and other bordering nations, its military build-up, and its increasing use of cyberattacks are concerns in Europe,\u201d according to a Pentagon media release. \u201cGermany is no exception; as the economic powerhouse of the continent, Germany is key to responding to these provocations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The increase reverses the policy of the previous administration, the Pentagon statement said, which looked to drastically reduce the number of U.S. forces based in Germany. President Joe Biden announced a policy to freeze that process, which included moving the headquarters for the Stuttgart-based U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. The president ordered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/05\/biden-halts-trump-ordered-us-troops-cuts-in-germany\/\" target=_blank>a global posture review<\/a> to determine how to best station U.S. forces around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/02\/05\/biden-halts-trump-ordered-us-troops-cuts-in-germany\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21035729810225.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Austin orders review of US global troop presence as Biden halts US troops cuts in Germany<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Biden said the troop pullout would be halted until Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does a review of America\u2019s troops presence around the globe.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGermany is one of our staunchest allies, and our relationship is built on shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,\u201d Austin said. \u201cToday, those principles are increasingly under duress. Amid shifting global dynamics and a challenging security environment, Germany will continue to be an important security and economic partner for the United States in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kramp-Karrenbauer welcomed the announcement as a \u201cstrong signal\u201d of a healthy U.S.-German relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also discussed a pending decision by Biden on whether to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/breaking-news\/2021\/04\/13\/biden-to-order-all-us-troops-out-of-afghanistan-by-sept-11\/\" target=_blank>withdraw completely from Afghanistan by May 1<\/a>, a deadline the Trump administration pledged to the Taliban militants. Germany is a key part of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/13\/biden-to-order-all-us-troops-out-of-afghanistan-by-sept-11\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"172\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6471056.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Biden to order all US troops out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">White House officials had been struggling with a May 1 deadline to withdraw all U.S. troops from the country.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin said at a joint news conference with Kramp-Karrenbauer that the extra 500 U.S. troops will be stationed permanently in Germany\u2019s Wiesbaden area as early as this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese forces will strengthen deterrence and defense in Europe. They will augment our existing abilities to prevent conflict, and, if necessary, fight and win,\u201d Austin said in prepared remarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis move will also create more space, more cyber, and more electronic warfare capabilities in Europe,\u201d he added, and he said it will \u201cgreatly improve our ability to surge forces at a moment\u2019s notice to defend our allies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Army plus up<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Army Europe and Africa will receive two new units in the coming months and retain three sites previously scheduled to be returned to the German government due to growing operational requirements in the European theater, officials said in a media release Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The units will be a Multi-Domain Task Force and Theater Fires Command. Combined, they will bring approximately 500 Soldiers, 35 local national positions and 750 Family members to U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Multi-Domain Task Force-Europe will be comprised of field artillery; composite air and missile defense; intelligence, cyberspace, electronic warfare and space; aviation and a brigade support element. The Theater Fires Command will improve readiness and multi-national interoperability by integrating joint and multi-national fires in exercises and operations, in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Theater Fires Command and Multi-Domain Task Force in Europe will enable U.S. Army Europe and Africa to synchronize joint fires and effects, control future long range fires across all domains and will create more space, cyber and electronic warfare capabilities in Europe,\u201d said Col. Joe Scrocca, the spokesman for U.S. Army Europe and Africa, said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Theater Fires Command is expected to activate Oct. 16 and the Multi-Domain Task Force is expected to activate on Sept. 16 . The sites that will be retained are Mainz Kastel Station and Mainz Kastel Housing in Mainz-Kastel, and Dagger Complex in Darmstadt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur operational requirements are outpacing facility construction and renovations as we continue to work through setting facility conditions for the new units we expect to receive as Army approves the structure,\u201d according to the release. \u201cWe are thankful for all of our host nation employees, without whom we could not accomplish our important mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNew strategies and a continuously changing operations environment requires more capacity to ensure we have the necessary infrastructure for increased capabilities to support our Allies and partners,\u201d Maj. Gen. Chris Mohan, commanding general for 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said in the release. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked closely with German officials to come to an agreement on retaining these sites and are very appreciative of their continued support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Putting the breaks on withdrawal<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/19\/trump-troop-cut-in-germany-fits-a-pattern-of-hitting-allies\/\" target=_blank>Trump ordered the withdrawal of 12,000 troops from Germany as retribution <\/a>for what he considered Germany\u2019s refusal to spend more on its own defense. Austin suspended that move shortly after taking office. He said decisions on troop levels would be made as part of a comprehensive review of the U.S. military presence around the world, including in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Austin\u2019s announcement on Tuesday is the first concrete indication that he may not carry out the Trump decision, which included moving U.S. European Command headquarters from Germany to Belgium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. currently has about 35,000 troops in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/06\/19\/trump-troop-cut-in-germany-fits-a-pattern-of-hitting-allies\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GermanyTroops.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump troop cut in Germany fits a pattern of hitting allies<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Germany, long the centerpiece of American defense strategy in Europe, has lately been the focus of Trump\u2019s ire.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked by a reporter whether the decision to add 500 troops means Washington will not carry out Trump\u2019s move, Austin said the Pentagon has \u201cceased planning\u201d for troop reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The German minister said she had Biden\u2019s word that \u201cthere will be no troop reduction as was previously planned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cToday I received the pleasing announcement and assurance from Secretary Austin that, instead, 500 more will be stationed here,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s how it should be among good friends and partners -\u2013 you give each other your word and keep to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/PressRelease?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PressRelease<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USArmyEURAF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USArmyEURAF<\/a> to receive 2\ufe0f\u20e3 new units retain 3\ufe0f\u20e3 sites.<br><br>Read More \u27a1\ufe0f  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XPVqKTv2pU\">https:\/\/t.co\/XPVqKTv2pU<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/StrongerTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#StrongerTogether<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/US_EUCOM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@US_EUCOM<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SHAPE_NATO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SHAPE_NATO<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bundeswehrInfo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@bundeswehrInfo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/usbotschaft?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@usbotschaft<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/21stTSC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@21stTSC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/21stTSCCG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@21stTSCCG<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/21stTSCCSM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@21stTSCCSM<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IMCOMEurope?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@IMCOMEurope<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/usconsfrankfurt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@usconsfrankfurt<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/usconsmunich?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@usconsmunich<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USConsLeipzig?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@USConsLeipzig<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/g4qLEbatyB\">pic.twitter.com\/g4qLEbatyB<\/a><\/p>&mdash; U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/USArmyEURAF\/status\/1381956007564296192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 13, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement after talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on his first tour of Europe since becoming Pentagon chief in January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":29646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,23,89,12,26,62,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2484,3204],"class_list":["post-65716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"C6GJWDJ4Y5BYBKK3PKZ3SG6JI4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/13\/us-adds-500-troops-in-germany-ends-large-scale-troop-cut-plans-despite-trump-pledge-secdef\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US adds 500 troops in Germany, ends large-scale troop cut plans despite Trump pledge: SECDEF - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement after talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on his first tour of Europe since becoming Pentagon chief in January.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US adds 500 troops in Germany, ends large-scale troop cut plans despite Trump pledge: SECDEF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement after talks with German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on his first tour of Europe since becoming Pentagon chief in January.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/04\/13\/us-adds-500-troops-in-germany-ends-large-scale-troop-cut-plans-despite-trump-pledge-secdef\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-04-13T14:02:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T12:23:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert Burns, The Associated Press, Howard Altman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert Burns, The Associated Press, Howard Altman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 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